


Rogue

by syrus_ssic



Series: Drug Haze [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Alternate Personality, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Child Death, Corpse Desecration, Crimes & Criminals, Depersonalization, Drugs, Genocide, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Kidnapping, Memory Alteration, Multi, Necrophilia, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Non-Consensual Touching, Non-Human Humanoid Society, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Nonbinary Character, Orgy, Polyamory, Racism, Rape/Non-con Elements, Shapeshifting, This has been a WIP for like 5 years, Triggers, War, aliens have animal characteristics, bird types are probably the most sfw, triggers will be listed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:21:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syrus_ssic/pseuds/syrus_ssic
Summary: Unfinished WIP. Temp. Hiatus.(Shapeshifters are seen as vile beings, impure and tainted because they refused to accept one true form. Treated like stock animals and bred until they died, they know nothing of the outside world.A rogue shapeshifter, a mutated version of themselves, tries to free their kind.)
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Drug Haze [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025962
Kudos: 12





	1. Hollowed Bones (1)

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all potentially triggering topics will be listed at the top of a chapter (if the chapter includes it), and I can tell you when the SFW stuff comes back into play.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction to our main character. Mentions of genocide, starvation, and character death. And cannibalisim.

He had grown up among feathers and claws, enticing birdsong and cozy nest hollows. 

It was a life of peace, a brief moment of solitude from the raging faction war amongst the lower and higher classes. His parents had been taken from him in a burst of flames and a collapsed building. Planes flew overhead and shot down any aerial enemy they encountered. Bodies littered the ground, some soldiers and the rest civilians.

It had been an accident, the flock leader had told him. It was an accident that started the war, the eventual genocide of an entire race. Just because they were different.

Because that race could transform into other creatures and races, creating another layer or so of extra defense, or even just for the cosmetics one didn’t have. But they lacked body strength on their own, leaving them extremely vulnerable to those who knew how to pin-point their weak spots. 

He used to be disciplined like that. Having a teacher use a sharpened stick to jab softly at a squishy space in between two certain ribs. Apparently, it was his ‘transforming organ’, a liver-like thing that required large amounts of protein and myoglobin.

He ate flesh, whilst everyone else ate berries, grain, vegetation, and fruits. 

By the time he was a preteen, the war had destroyed a quarter of the world. The Shapeshifters Land. They were responsible for major meat and product distribution, and this sudden loss left a large section of the world in poverty and starvation. 

The meat was hard to come by, very expensive when he was a late teenager.

His parents, in all their glory and wealth, had to resort to their own species instead of livestock. Their basic humanoid cousins, Cyroans, were hunted for sport. It took camera footage and eyewitnesses for his flock to abandon this when the missing person cases started stockpiling. 

When new chicks were fed a meat diet, they started shaking. They got sick. They could never keep down a meal. They vomited up everything that was forced into their stomachs.

He remembers the crying. The crying of those who mourned their hatchlings who died of the sickness. It was a stupid idea, but the food was getting harder to come by where they lived. They asked him to share his food, the flesh of a sentient being.

He did, wanting to ease the anxiety of a parent trying to feed their starving family. The children died not even a month later. 

He spent most of his recent emergence into adulthood foraging for edible food for his giant family. The best he could get in a day was a couple of mangoes and a few bushels of seed. 

He grew lean, forcing himself to starve so his family didn’t cry every time they looked at him during mealtime. His body thinned, and his organ shrank. He struggled to stay awake and strong, trembling with effort after a few steps.

His mind fogged and he hacked up the blood. Every few months A sharp pain in his side was felt, and he had looked at where his organ was located. Normally it was just a swollen spot, tender to his clothes rubbing against his side.

But this time, this time where he was alone and far from the nests, something was wrong.

The skin around it had bruised over, the ribs around it jagged and broken.

It had exploded with nutrition deficiency. His parents told him of this, with what little information was scrounged up from the libraries of the Cyroan Capital. He knew that he didn’t have much longer to live.

He had laid by the bathing pools, half inside the cold water to try and ease the pain of passing. He had wanted someone to hold his hand, to cradle him in feathered wings while they hummed a lullaby. 

He wanted his mother.

He wanted his father.

The pain that once burned like the fire had faded away to an icy numbness. Black filled the edges of his vision and the only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat. 

His breathing came in ragged, shallow gasps. Seconds passed as he lay there, then, he heard voices. Was it communal bath day already?

People had swarmed all over him, trying to help him, he realized. They wanted to save him. He felt compressions and the screams of horror when his ribs collapsed, crunching like eggs falling onto concrete.

He coughed again, trying to get air. To say he was sorry for not taking care of himself. Blood spewed over whoever was closest to him, colouring everything it could reach. 

With the last bit of strength he had, he had grasped the hand of whoever was cradling him to their chest.

With a shaky voice, broken by a defeated sob, the person had begun singing. It was in their blood after all. To celebrate life and death, another year of gratitude.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see-” They stopped singing the nostalgic song when he didn’t respond.

Arms tightened around the corpse with the gentleness of a mother, supporting the head and neck. 

Rosy lips pressed onto a cold forehead.

A warm hand brushed away stray hairs from his face.

Syrus had passed on.

But this was not the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go, the tragic backstory of my favourite character. I also hate grammarly. I use Canadian spelling, not American.


	2. Hell (1.5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Torture, body gore/horror, drugs

The nightmare was always the same. Paralyzed, naked, cold. The masked man would come closer with the knife, making sweeping movements to music only he could hear. He would be closer, then further away, and then closer again.   
Syrus shuddered in paralyzed fear, knowing that the man brought pain when the knife found a target. Was this hell? Was it an endless cycle of torture that would continue on even after he died in this dream?

Was it even a dream? It didn’t feel like it.

Syrus screamed in mute pain when the knife began to carve out his torso, a hand scooping out his organs. His ribs were sawed away and tossed aside like trash, marrow seeping out through whatever jagged edges were left.

The man had started to talk somewhat, to himself, after the twentieth time this dream repeated.

The masked man sang a tune, so eerily similar to the one he heard when he had died, and it made Syrus’ stomach churn in fear. Had he known this mystery man before his death?

His chest was hollow now, and the man began to crawl into the cavity. Much like a lazy cat, but with the ill intention of a flesh-eating beetle.

Rotating teeth carved into his spine and Syrus began to convulse.

Nerves were pulled out, and Syrus foamed at the mouth.

As his eyes began to close, the man had peeled back his eyelids until his eyes were dried open. White eyes watched the man devour him up to his neck, fear, and hatred the two strongest feelings above the sickness. 

He wanted his mother.

He wanted his father.

He wanted-

A cold, crooked finger placed itself on Syrus’ lips, the man shushing him with malice in his tone.

_“There will be none of that, boy. You’re stuck with me until I get what I want. You disgusting shifting insects do hide your special organ well.”_

What?

Was this a dream?

He struggled, feeling restrained and cold. Despite not even having a body. Syrus whimpered, starting to feel sea-sick as the white room around them began to sway.

The man growled.

_“It’s too early to be coming out of anesthesia for you. I gave you a dose that would’ve lasted you a week.”_

The tone was chiding, as an adult would speak to a misbehaving child.

Syrus heard a reply from behind him, someone different, a hushed voice he couldn’t make out through the pounding in his head. A cold hand steadied his neck before Syrus felt a dull prick of pain. It was nothing compared to the Beetle Man who destroyed his entire body. 

His phantom limbs grew heavy, even after their short bout of energy from finally ridding whatever is being pumped into him. Syrus felt his head lull to the side, eyes glazed over. 

The same hand swept away a few hairs out of his face, and Syrus felt like crying.

Is this just a new level of torture? Being forced to feel the same sensations he felt before he had passed away with a sigh?

He wanted-

What did he want?

Nothing.

That’s right, boy. You don't want anything. You’re alone because your family left you for dead. It’s a shame that their feathers are so-

No!

No. Syrus doesn’t want to know this.

It was getting harder to sort out his thoughts, the fog thickening with each second.

He closed his eyes as he surrendered to sleep, tears streaming down his face. 


	3. The Organ (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drowning and Syrus' first sign of amnesia. poor guy. Too bad i like beating him up.

White eyes open abruptly, and his limbs flex in shock. 

A cold jelly-like liquid embraces his body, keeping him locked in a fetal position. Each inhale for air was slow and forced. Mechanical. 

Tubes ran up each nostril, running down and around his body, and connected to a grey panel in front of him. The liquid is soft, it ripples with each blink. Syrus feels tranquil. As if everything is alright. 

What happened?

Syrus stretches from his position, finding that his wrists and ankles are anchored down to the bottom of his cage of glass. The chains look heavy, and they might hurt him if he tried to suddenly yank on them. Syrus floats there for a moment, contemplating what to do.

Could he call for help?

Opening his mouth was stupid, the thick liquid rushing in and blocking his throat. A sense of anguish, more so than pain, had taken rule of his heart, and he was extremely light-headed. 

Maybe the top of his head was little more than a spiral of wool, which was slowly turning as it unraveled. One more revolution and the final strand would release, to allow his mind to slip through the gap, and float slowly up and away.

Syrus moves his arms like he's climbing rocks but it's only water around him – water that washes around his body preventing access to precious air. After only a few seconds his brain is in full panic, there are no coordinated movements, just clawing through the thick liquid that invaded his lungs.

He briefly thought of being rescued. He was placed in here for a reason and his skin rippled, a painful feeling of pins and needles enveloping him as his body changed. He thought of the water-dwellers who breached the glassy surface of the water at dawn and dusk. He thought of their gills that gifted them the ability to breathe in water. 

Slits on each side of his ribs formed, feathery gills sprouted on his hips. It was disgusting and unnatural. Another reason why his species was killed. The anatomy didn’t look right as it did on the actual creature, but it worked just as well. 

Bubbles spewed forth from his mouth and sides as the liquid was forcefully expelled from his lungs, leaving him breathless and alive. 

His eyes open, a thin veil over them. A hand removed the tubes in his nose and unwound them from his body.

A primal instinct, a false thing to mimic the creature he was posing as, told him to break free and find a pod. Find a pod to swim free and dive into the inky depths of the Great Oceans. 

Instructing him blindly. He was afraid. This wasn’t him.

He saw shadows outside his cage, felt himself sink to the bottom as the liquid drained and he was gasping for air once more.

Grubby hands pulled on his gills and touched the slits of skin. Fingers opened his eyes and peeling back the protective layer. His skin rippled, the pain of having scales retract into his body was the same as glass sinking into your skin. 

Syrus thought of himself, the boy with a normal face and normal skin and normal features of a common Cyroan. But he wasn’t a Cyroan and he was sure that these mystery people knew that too.

The hands stopped touching him when he was normal.

His breath seemed to stutter in his lungs before he let it go, feeling the tension drain from his body. He was tired and lethargic. A rumble in his stomach told him that he was hungry too.

Didn’t he eat just before he went to go play with the chicks? Why was he here?

A towel was thrown over his naked form for modesty. He let himself be used as a lifeless puppet. 

He was just so _tired._

White eyes looked up and saw beautiful golden ones. A slow blink from him caused the owner of those eyes to look away. 

His heart thumped in his chest, slowly beating and pushing him into an impromptu nap. Syrus yawned, the broad plate of teeth flashed as a warning. 

He felt the chains fall away when his eyes closed and felt himself be swaddled in a heavy jacket. His arms crossed his chest and straps hooked under his legs and over his arms before locking together at his back.

He just wants Vyno.

He wants Vyno.


	4. Memory Gap (3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This just puts the main story into motion, as some background details have been covered from the get-go. 
> 
> MENTIONS OF CRUELTY, FORCED BREEDING AGAINST A SENTIENT BEINGS WILL, SLAVE BRANDING
> 
> Following chapter two, The Organ, Syrus has been introduced to a facility that claims to be helping his race repopulate enough for all of them to be released and live freely on their own. This starts with rehabilitation and helping those sick be healthy once more.
> 
> While he works, the head of breeding and the head farm manager talk about Syrus.

Days passed by in a blur, merging into one another due to the same monotonous tasks he had to do. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into a month. Not much was worth saying.

Only the fact that he hadn’t spoken at all since he woke up in a straightjacket with several people cheering when white eyes opened and teeth bared.

Wake up. Eat. Get a vitamin shot. Run around in something that suspiciously looked like a hamster wheel. Stretch. Be cleared for the day and go to work on the gardens and clean up the feeder animal pens that surrounded the facility.

It was OK. Syrus had pushed out the disturbing memory of his first shift in the contained experiment container, aided by the several medications he took to help with the pain. 

His organ still hurt, but not as bad as it did when he first awoke from his nightmares with the Beetle Man. His stomach twisted in anxiety at the thought of it.

It was a warm day out, leaving him in the standard stock white outfit all slaves wore. White t-shirt, white shorts, and white shoes. He felt the gentle breeze and he sighed.

He hated artificial weather. If you looked closely at the sky, you could see the faint outlines of large hexagon panels. If you stood still long enough, you’d feel the wind never come from a different direction other than the north. 

What makes it worse, is the fact that the people he supposedly is supposed to befriend all believe that this is natural. There used to be hope that you’d be released into the now restored land of the shifters. But it was squashed down when they were all shown hyper-realistic holograms of a barren world. Fires started, droughts swept away countless lives, and tsunamis by the coasts were extremely common. Lies. Syrus had seen the updated maps before heading out to the jungle to find food for the chicks.

His shovel created a shallow groove in the ground where Syrus dragged it, his bucket hitting his thigh with each step. The white-fenced garden started to come into view as he crested a small hill that overlooked the main grounds of the facility side for slaves.

Farm duty was the first rotation for young adolescent males. Male field slaves on the farms then rotated at stud duty to nearby breeder farms. Once a male stood stud duty, he was sent away from the farms to work in the nearby mines. Those who survived the mines were rotated to labor jobs. Less than half survived the mines, or so he’d overheard from loudmouthed scientists.

You live, you work, you breed, you die.

He felt his wrist tag vibrate, signaling a request call for his presence. Syrus groaned but trekked back to the building.

-

“I’m worried that the new shifter is much more intelligent than he seems. He might know what we truly do.”

"So? He's been like that since we got him. He's got no records, no way of knowing who his creators were, and it's not like you can ask him. Why do you care, anyway? As I said, we've got plenty of fine males you can breed."

"I like the body build and teeth. I'd like to see if it breeds true." 

"Why do you care? You have bunches of slaves to take his place."

"I'd just like to take a look at him."

"Later."

-

It was an accidental press, wasting Syrus’ two hours of his work shift. 

Syrus knew that because he didn’t talk, the other farm slaves and the supervisors tended to think he was stupid and did not know that he had the shit job. Fat lot they knew.

The animal manure might stink, and cleaning the pens took a while, but no one wanted to smell that where they worked. Syrus was under orders to clean himself up before he went on to clean the buildings. That meant that Syrus got a bath and got to clean his clothes pretty much nightly. He had two sets, one to wear while the other dried for the next day. No one knew he had two; most slaves wore one set of clothes until they fell off.

They thought he had a shit job dealing with the still and cleaning the buildings because he did not get a chance to steal some extra food. Being caught stealing food earned the slave a beating, which limited it to when they could get away with it, but all of them did it. However, they would not know what wild edible food looked like because most of them had lived here since birth.

In his years as a Yanaknoa Flock member, Syrus learned about a lot of edible plants, and he managed to scavenge quite a bit when he finished with his work. It was much different than the rich wild flora and fruits that grew in controlled areas.

Sometimes he could find eggs, and the caches of nuts and such the squirrels or other animals had during the winter, and there was a walnut tree nearby. He was willing to bet he was the only slave on the farm who was never beaten for stealing food, while at the same time getting more to eat than anyone else.

The farm prospered, and no one cared how as long as it did. Since Syrus did his work at night and early morning, no one realized how long he was there. Sometimes he lost sleep; he had to wait until Medias was drunk enough to get to the datapads and read as much classified information as he could. He counted it as a small price to pay for living in this jail.

Tonight was different. Syrus had finished and about to put away the supplies when he heard Medias say, "Finally finished!" 

Syrus looked in, and Medias saw him. "Let's look at your work," the manager said and staggered through the building with his mute slave. He checked the still. "Got to keep you up to spec," he informed his mute slave, who nodded and waited to be dismissed.

"Get on with you then," the master said, and Syrus picked up his supplies quietly and went to put them away. When he went back to check, the manager was slumped over the desk as usual. Syrus stacked the datapads up, as usual, noting that the work was done on all of them, and turned off the light. There was a fine crop of wild carrots he noticed today and he was looking forward to getting them tomorrow. 

He left to the barracks with a sense of unease for the next day.


	5. Helplessness (4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of our main antagonists shows up, a doctor by the name of Hook.
> 
> He wants to breed Syrus with his favorite female, a young lass with the tendency to eat any stillborn child she has. 
> 
> NON-CON TOUCHING/PHYSICAL EXAMINATION.

Hook came at his normal time to examine the potential studs, and he did not see the newbie among them. It was later than usual when he finished and asked about the new shifter, and the supervisor he spoke to said he would look into it, but never came back. Annoyed, the breeder slammed his kit together. He had no doubt that Medias was keeping that slave out of his way.

He walked out of the back of the building and nearly ran into the new shifter. Seeing Hook, the boy dropped his cleaning tools and walked towards the building. Further irritated, Hook went after him, thinking he was hiding under Medias’ orders.

Seeing the boy heading out the other door, Hook put on a burst of speed and grabbed the departing shifter by the arm. 

"I've been looking for you. Come on," he said and started off with the shifter in tow.

"Let go of Syrus, Hook," the manager said. "He's not allowed to fetch for anyone he doesn't know, and he already let me know you were here. " Figuring the matter was settled, the boy stepped away, pulling gently at the grip on his arm.

His arm nearly came out of its socket when Hook pulled him back. 

"I said I wanted to examine him when I came to examine the others. I'm here, he's here, and I want to examine him!"

"Don't be an idiot, it's a waste of your time and his," Medias said, taking Syrus’ other arm and pulling. "He's flawed! He's mute, and there's no reason to breed him!"

-

Breed? If Syrus had known that, he would have been on the other side of that door before the strange doctor appeared. He had no intention whatsoever of bringing a child into the hell that his kind in this world lived in. Right at this moment, though, he had more immediate problems. They were bruising him with their angry grips, and if they didn't stop hauling him around, they'd dislocate or break an arm soon.

-

Hook yanked the shifter back. "I'm the one who makes that decision," he shouted back. "And to make that decision, I need to examine him!" 

Then the poor bewildered shifter whimpered, and they looked down at him. Realizing that he was hurting him, Hook let go at the same time that Medias did. 

The slave took a step back to get a clear path to the door. "Oh no, you don't," Hook said, guiding him to sit on the desk. "Stay right there." 

Hook turns to Medias, "Look, just let me look him over. We might be arguing over nothing."

"That's your kit?" Medias snapped, waving a third arm towards the massive tote bag by the door. 

At Hook's nod, the manager cleared a space on the desk. 

"Fine then. Do it right here. I want to hear the results as you go. I won't get a full night's work out of him as it is, not after you almost yanked his arms out of their sockets. As soon as you know you were being a fool, get out."

Hook snorted and turned to the frightened shifter. He opened his kit and got to the exam. 

He was amazed at the boy’s lack of smell and vermin. When he asked about this, Medias had begrudgingly told Hook that he let Syrus have a bit more stuff to bathe with after farm work. Mainly because the shifter had extremely sensitive skin due to growing up with no shifting. His skin was still as smooth as it was the day he was born, leaving him prone to rashes and scrapes.

The skin was unblemished and perfect, with only a massive scar where his name had been branded on the back of his neck and the redness on one side of his chest. A hand tilted up the boy’s chin and turned his head about. Perfect jawline, strong muscles, and healthy hair. The eyes were a bit unnerving, though. As every shifter he examined had no pupil, only a blank slate for an eye. Grey pupils watched his movements but looked away every time Hook met his gaze.

Hook let go of the boy’s chin and faced Medias. "What did you know about him before he was sent here?" he asked.

"Not a fucking thing," Medias grumbled. "The report said he was found by a patrol, surrounded by the corpses of those bird freaks. I speculated that he was hidden by them before someone attempted to take him to us. The higher-ups thought he might have been abandoned by his parents because he couldn't talk, you noticed that he hasn’t made a sound yet?” Medias sighed before continuing. 

“He got dropped off here since we're the central farm, no way he could get back to the wilderness before we found him. No reason to think differently than he got dumped because he was flawed."

"Well, I’m guessing that someone tried to take him to us. Have you seen his ribs? One side is completely swollen and red. Something happened with the hyposyndrius.”

They looked at the shifter, who was staring at the floor with a despondent look on his face.

"Not a pleasant memory, I would think," Hook said and rubbed the shifter’s back gently.

The breeder went forward with his exam. Finally, he told the boy to get dressed, which the slave did as fast as his hurt and aching arms would allow. Hook was pleased with his assessment. This was a fine strong healthy slave, more than minimally intelligent, and with a good disposition, well exceeding the minimum breeding requirements.

"I'm going to give you something for that pain," he said pleasantly. The slave looked at Medias who waved permission. The breeder handed the shifter a small bottle. 

"Get it down," he said, and when the shifter tilted it to take a sip, the breeder tipped it to empty into the slave's mouth and held his chin up so that he swallowed automatically. Then he coughed and sputtered when Hook let go. The taste was awful. 

"Give it a moment to work," Hook advised, when the shifter tried to get off the desk.

-

Syrus obediently sat still, wishing he had something to take that vile taste away. He wished that he hadn’t taken the short way back to the group center with the other males.

-

"Good. I'll just take him with me." 

The shifter’s head whipped up and he looked from the breeder to the farm manager, dismay clear on his face before he managed to wipe it blank and look at the floor. Hook saw and wondered at it. 

Shouldn't a young male be excited at the chance to get to a female? Or did he not understand what breeding meant? Females and males were kept separated so that breeding was regulated; it was possible that he did not understand what they were discussing.  
And it also might be due to the fact that he had just reached adolescence, judging from the blood samples compared to the other Shifters, leaving him with a young mind and older body. If his guess might be correct, he grew up with an entirely different lifestyle than what the Shifters here did. Meaning he probably had no desire to mate at all.

Medias saw the look as well and interpreted it correctly as the appeal it was. Not only was Medias fond of the slave after only a month, but Syrus was also trained, reliable, and wanted to stay in a position where he was not badgered. 

"He can go when the others do. That'll give me time to train a replacement. I need all the hands I can get until the harvest is in," Medias argued. 

That would give him another month or so, and Hook might forget about the mute slave by that time. Hearing a thump, he looked over and saw that Syrus had slumped over onto the desk, sound asleep.

Hook had no intention of going through this tangled mess again. He figured, correctly, that if he did not take the slave now, he would never see him again. 

As a result, the still sleeping slave departed the farm an hour later, with the bargain that once Hook had him for one breeding rotation, he would give Medias a chance to fetch him before he was sent to the mines.


	6. Justice (5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Syrus stops sexual assault and gets punished for it. Whatever will happen to our dear boy?
> 
> TW: MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

‘You don't want to live in a society like this, yet you don't want to do anything about it!’, was a common phrase Syrus wished he could tell one of the people in charge here.

It was a stupid thing to say to someone who was so in over their head that they thought the enslavement of the Syronians was a great thing. 

The Syronians suffered from PTSD from disgusting guards, anxiety due to beatings, depression and in some cases, Syrus thought as he was led past rooms with glass walls, complete maniacal freaks. They tore out their hair and tried to yank out their eyes. Unable to comprehend their existence as a slave under the Higher Ups and the King. 

He cast a self-conscious look at his own exposed arms and legs. The wounds had already scarred over, leaving white irregular bite marks everywhere his mouth could reach at the time. He licked his lips, drool pooling underneath his tongue.

A harsh yank on his restraint harness made Syrus stumble a bit, before a rugged guard hauled him upright again. The grip lingered for a bit too long, the hand retreating with a greasy disgusting feel that Syrus hated with a passion.

He didn’t miss the casual grope on his ass, instead focusing on the supervisor in front of him.

The doors to the Pink Room stood in front of them, and Syrus could practically taste the pheromones in the air of repopulating couples. A camera in the corner of the door focused on the small trio, a red beam swiping over their prone forms. The door lock blinked green before it swung open, and Syrus wanted to hurl at the overwhelming scent.

He was shoved forward, harness disengaged the moment it crossed the laser barrier and gawked at the two behind him.

“Perform well, and you are free to leave.”

The door started to close and Syrus panicked.

He waved erratically, and the door shut down paused.

“Do you have any questions?” The supervisor was irritated at him.

Syrus nodded and made a frantic gesture, a hand motioning to the entire place behind him.

“Oh, Hook said you’d be confused as to why you’re here. Your goal, as a healthy male specimen, is to breed and impregnate as many females as you come across. The minimum requirement to leave this room is five females. It doesn’t matter how you get a female, but do make sure that they are mostly unharmed. Two people are always monitoring the cameras in each cubicle. Now off you go.”

Before Syrus could do anything, the door promptly slammed shut. He huffed and faced the dimly lit room. He could see the shadows of couples behind somewhat transparent curtains. He could hear the female moans and male grunts. He could smell the sickly sweet scent of pheromones. He could taste blood.

What?

Syrus loosened his jaw, feeling his teeth relinquish their hold on his tongue. 

He glanced at a camera, which had its lens trained solely on him. He felt a brief pause of anxiety, a sick feeling crawling up from the pits of his stomach and wrapping around his heart.

  
He didn’t want to do this.

This was wrong.

With uncertain steps, Syrus found himself walking by every cubicle. The sounds were probably something he’d hear in his dreams, and it will not be pleasant.

If he escaped, he would tell the press this. Tell the Queen. He was not just some animal, a brainless thing that only existed to fight and mate. 

Syrus steered clear from the boiling pots filled with colourful phallic objects and round cylinders. He ignored the flashy holo-magazines of nude Syronians, all dressed up and ready to be used. He wanted to go home. These colours were only reminding him of a distant memory, only flashes of colour with the comfort of a parent and their child. The rest led to dark and unpleasant things.

There was a short drone of someone talking, their voice so monotonous that it hinted it was repeated several times over. Syrus ignored it in favour of seeking out a hiding place- away from the cameras that followed his movements.

He heard a scuffle nearby, a faint whimper and the thud of someone hitting something. Syrus went to investigate against his better judgement.

His heart hammered in his chest as he sunk low to the ground to watch whatever the hell was going on. His silent footsteps helped his mission, but he could not hide his gasp of surprise when he peeked into a cubicle, silky white curtains pulled back to reveal the scene.

Syrus watched as a petite woman, all-round curves and an enticing body, be shoved against the wall by a male. 

The male grinned at the female, all teeth and no humour. 

Syrus did not like where this was going.

“Your master asked a question. Did you not hear him on the intercom, my sweet?”

Flinching, the woman quietly responded, “Y-yes m’lord.”

“Who taught you to be so obedient?” The male purred. “I hope it wasn’t Hook. Rumours say that he likes to treat his females nicely,” the male said, cupping her chin and forcing her to look up at him. Her eyes darted everywhere, trying to find a spot where he wasn’t in her vision.

She spotted Syrus but quickly looked back at the male in front of her.

She started to tremble, her black hair falling in front of her face. 

The male growled and pulled her close to him by her hips. Her bare chest was flush with his, making her start to tremble harder.

“It’s good to be afraid. You’re going to be such a good fuck toy for me and my buddies. All you female types are good for are a nice pleasure-”

Syrus’ vision went red when the male’s hand slipped lower, despite her protests. 

Syrus doesn’t remember the next moments clearly. But he does remember the blood, splattered all over her body and her horrified screaming.

He remembers the dim lighting being replaced with full white lights. 

The guards had held him down, shouting orders out to each other as they failed to control Syrus.

He wasn’t going to be a slave to these freaks.

If there was one good thing, he thought as he spat out a chunk of thick plastic from their gear, was that his teeth wouldn’t break. He would kill every single worker here. And that was a promise.

With grim resolution, Syrus let himself be tasered and harnessed. His assailants were cautious of his sudden surrender. They had every right to be. 

He was tossed roughly into a single containment chamber, metal cuffs being magnetized to the floor. 

He rested his head on the cold concrete, closing his eyes and began to plot out a plan.


	7. Different (6)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> POV change to the female we met in Chp 5.
> 
> Let's dig a little deeper into what the hell this place is.

  
Lea sobbed as she huddled into a ball on her bed, only a thin thermal blanket for modesty. That male had been a mere second away from raping her, and she didn’t miss the bewildered look that he gave her when that other male came along and murdered him.

She remembers watching that stranger in the shadows, thinking he was planning to jump her the moment she was done being used.

But she still felt surprised, somewhat, when thinking about any reason the male would kill the one groping her.

Did he know that what the bigger male was doing was allowed on certain terms?

That she wouldn’t be saved at all and his heroism wouldn't be rewarded?

She felt sad though, for the stranger when the guards had restrained him after what seemed like his sudden loss of energy. Maybe he wanted her to be with him and solely him?

She hated this place, she truly did, she thought as she tried to get warm. 

It was impossible though, the room was always chilled for the expectant mothers because of their extremely high body temperature when carrying.

Females, female-oriented and Intersex Syronians weren’t given clothes as the doctors said it would severely harm their chances of successful impregnation. This left them cold and miserable, craving the warmth of sex that seemed to ignite their souls with fire. It was a lie though, she heard of the escapees who said they caught even when half-clothed. And even pregnant mothers were not allowed clothing.

The blankets were the only thing that seemed to give them privacy away from prying eyes, she thought. Lea snuggled deeper into the darkness of the mattress and blanket.

Hook had told all females that coupling had to be consensual on both sides. 

She felt the waterworks start up again but smashed the desire to do so. With a stuttering inhale, she finally lifted her head up from the dark cocoon. Coral eyes swept over each bunk, all occupied by a stupid female who thrived to be used like trash.

Quite a few had round stomachs, the few luminous eggs visible in the darkness of the room. 

It didn’t matter now. If there was one person she could trust, it was Hypno. She needed to see him. Maybe she could say that she felt a symptom of catching?

What did the other females say again… Lea quietly untangled herself from the blanket and sat upright. She wiped the remains of tears away with a small hand as she thought back on her past.

Her mother used to make Lea help with watching the younger girls, complaining about sensitivity to light and a hunger for the semen of whatever male had taken her.

With a set goal, Lea made a show of blindly stumbling around in the halls. She pretended to be unable to read things at a great distance if there were too many lights in one hall. Supervisors gently patted her on the stomach, congratulating her on the new specimens. 

She felt sick at their words, reminding her of her goal.

The white and grey colours gradually faded into colours, pastels and shades. Concrete and metal slowly turned to wood and carpet, a high risk for a fire hazard.

The lights dimmed the further she got into the new facility wing and was greeting with small hands clambering up onto her legs.

She always had a soft spot for the hatchlings and children, seeing as though they hadn’t had a chance to be corrupted yet in this hellish world. 

The babies were smooth and slimy, a bit like softball-sized snail babies. She giggled sadly as they made cooing sounds at the sight of another adult than the two physicians here.

Lea let them tag along until she shooed them away with an angry chirp, something her mother used to do when Lea and her siblings used to misbehave. Back when the mothers were not separated from their children almost immediately after birth.

She turned straight into the jagged chest of Hypno, his black and white eyes spiralling in surprise. 

“Eh, ah’m sorry miss! What drags you here today?”

Lea smiled at the friendly tone, silently thanking whatever deity for not allowing her to bump into Hypno’s brother, Lull.

She raised shy eyes up to meet his, a blush creeping across her pale cheeks. Oh, she loved this man’s personality so much, it made her feel better after the..previous ordeal.

Her face must have gotten sad, because Hypno gently wrung an arm around her shoulders and hunching over to comfort her.

He was warm, and she leant into the comforting gesture.

“Whas tha matter, Lea?”

Lea thought for a moment.

“I’m worried about what it’s going to be like when I’m older. How I’m going to be treated after this recent problem that happened.”

Hypno guided her to sit down with him by a nearby window, overlooking the nursery with the babies.

“The problem? What problem?”

Lea looked at him, eyes wide.

“Y-you didn’t hear? About the murder?”

“Oh, that! Yah, uh. Ah don’t get out much. Lull talks to the other head managers of each branch ‘ere, remember? Ah’m jus’ tha’ lackey.”  
Lea squashed down the nervous feeling in her stomach and turned a bit so she could talk to the male directly.

“And what do you think of it? What have you heard?” She felt like a nagging bitch for making this physician answer her questions, but she wanted to know what the higher-ups thought of it.

Hypno scratched the back of his neck for a moment, glancing down at the babies before looking at her once more.

“Ah heard that you were primarily the cause for the accident to happen,” Lea felt her eyes water at the blunt statement, “-but, I don’t agree with it. You’re jus’ too cute to be causin’ problems ‘ere after doing this for how long. It’s just been your first year to be in a breeding group with fertile males.”

His fake accent slipped away as he began to get serious, his logic shining through those beautiful eyes.

“I think that the males should be watched more closely, as to prevent anymore things like that happening. I tried to be one of those who watched the cams, but Miss Prella had her eighth batch of eggs and got pregnant almost immediately after the birth. I was the midwife during the time the incident happened.”

Lea nodded, digesting the words and noting his confession. She nudged him a bit, a wry smile on her face.

“Thank you for being honest. And for being my friend. We basically grew up together.”

Hypno chuckled, leaning forward and planting a kiss on her forehead. He pulled back at Lea’s giggle.

“You’re welcome. Now, do you need anything else?” He checked his watch, rolling back the white sleeve of the jacket he wore. “I have to get back to egg-rolling soon, or else Lull will have my head for allowing the babies to be attached on one side.”

She pondered for a moment before the memory of grey eyes watching her in the darkness came to mind.

“What do you know about the one with the…” She racked her brain for a term, hands coming up to wring themselves together.

“The newbie with the plate of teeth? They don’t have any gaps, it’s literally just a plate of teeth on each jaw. Oh! And he had grey eyes, every other male I’ve seen or heard about up until recently had white eyes.”

Hypno scrunched up his face as if he had tasted something sour. He glanced around behind her, at the doorways and open hall, before hunkering down to whisper in her ear.

“I’m gonna be nice and tell you that he’s unique. Remember the other unique ones when we were younger? With coloured hair and skin, coloured eyes and just different features than the other 98% of the population? They were unique too,” he pulled back quickly and glanced around once more.

His breath warmed her neck and ear.

“The farm manager says he’s smart. Hook also agrees with this. This new guy knows more than he lets on, and he doesn’t even talk. I’d stay away from him if I were you, lest you wanna get in trouble with Hook. Just because he doesn’t abuse you, or any other female, it doesn’t mean he won’t find ways to make you suffer.”

Hypno departed then, standing up and straightening out his jacket and dusting off his pants.

He looked back, though, right before he left the small room they were in and made a swirling motion by his head with a finger.

“He’s insane.”  
  
A hand was waved and the door closed, Hypno’s voice muffled through the wood.

“Have a jolly day, miss.”

Lea sat there as he left, the room was quiet aside from the chirping noises in the nursery. 

She frowned.

She needed to know more.


	8. Ally (7)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (short chapter)
> 
> Lea and Syrus meet, the two forming a deal in an exchange where Lea hopes for protection in return if she manages to get what Syrus wants.
> 
> What does he want with Hypno?
> 
> And how did he run into her?

Lea had been very careful for the next few days, feigning an injury to lengthen her time away from the Pink room.

She had been given full access to the cleaning supply closet, under strict instructions to clean everything she could reach. Why wasn’t she supervised you might ask?

You’d be surprised at how flustered the female guards could get when Lea sent a wink and smile their way, a promise for a quick good time. And she was rewarded for it as she found herself steadily amassing a large pile of knickknacks and easier chores to do.

Lea popped off the lid of an unlabeled container, gasping when a droplet burnt her skin on contact. When she began to scrub at the floors, she watched as any organic material was instantly corroded away, leaving a foamy residue behind.

She was grateful for the gloves she was given when the body of a rat was gone in under a minute.

But the smell was disgusting like someone had just mixed together trash, feces, and blood. And this was just the actual smell of the liquid itself. She couldn’t smell anything else right now.

Shoot, what if she was destroying her sense of smell with this?

Lea quickly wiped up any residue chemicals, stored away from the supplies, and began to wash her face off in the emergency cleaning station. Just in case.

As she walked out of the closet, she was shoved back inside as a male ran headfirst into her.

He locked them both into the closet, hands shaking with adrenaline, before turning to face her. 

His face was battered and bruised, red and splotchy. He was panting but kept a hand over his mouth. As if he was afraid someone would hear him.

Lea flinched back a bit, into the corner when the angry shouting and heavy footfalls of a small team stormed past them. The male huddled into the opposite corner of her, breathing quickly but calmed down when the noise faded away.

Finally, he made eye contact with her. 

And Lea nearly screamed when grey eyes met hers. 

In an instant, his arm had elongated and a hand muffled her mouth, pressing down when Lea started to struggle. The newbie was shaking his head frantically, motioning for her to be quiet with his opposite hand.

Well- Lea didn’t think he was going to attempt anything, unlike the other escapee males who got to have a female alone and unsupervised.

He had saved her after all, even though it didn’t seem like he even recognized her during the mauling.

She straightened up when the hand and arm retracted, the popping of joints and snaps of bone occupying the silence between them.

Lea thought of her next words carefully, whispering them to the male.

“What are you doing here?”

The male rubbed his head, cheeks darkening under the bruises, and shrugged when it seemed he didn’t have an exact answer.

“Do you have a name?” Lea asked. She was starting to get tired of referring to him as the newbie or the male.

He nodded, a smile on his face. He began making weird signs with his hands but looked sad when Lea showed no signs of understanding.

Then, he began to mouth the words- er, letters.

Lea understood this.

“Syrus?”  
He nodded, softly clapping his hands before crossing his arms again. He tilted his head a bit and leaned back, a small grin on his face. 

Lea felt herself lighten up at this childish behavior. 

“So...Do you want anything from here? If I get caught with you, I’m going to be in a lot of trouble. We’re not even supposed to interact with each other.”

Syrus frowned but smiled once more. He began to mime two people walking with his hands.

“You want to stay with me? You’re not allowed.” She was starting to doubt Hypno’s words about Syrus being smart. Didn’t he get told everything? Wasn’t he trained?

Syrus got angry, trying to make a scenario that she just couldn’t understand. He closed his eyes in thought when Lea just continued to stare at him with apprehension. 

His form filled out, becoming curvy and short instead of malnourished and tall. His hair grew and darkened, matching her exact style-

Wait.

Lea watched as he shifted into an exact copy of herself, everything right except for the eyes and teeth. And clothes. 

With a giddy smile, he mimed a pair of glasses and feigned a neutral expression.

Was- was he trying to mimic her? What good will this do? If anything, he’ll get caught because he doesn’t have the genitalia for it.

“This won’t work, Syrus.”

He frowned.

“It won’t work because we females don’t wear clothes.”

Syrus looked surprised when he looked down at her form, eyes wide before looking back at her face.  
“If you couldn’t tell, you males are treated better than us females. You even get to have free time! All we do is clean the female sector, breed, and cook and serve for the supervisors here.”

She didn’t mind the last thing though, she got to serve Hypno on his request. 

Syrus seemed to disagree with her words, making punching motions, miming a needle depressing into his arm, and something that looked particularly like groping.

Was everything she heard a lie? Hypno said the males had it better than females.

She looked at Syrus, watching him tremble in…pain? 

She watched him tremble in pain as his form became lanky and crooked once more, clothes now hanging loosely off his body instead of hugging onto his previous form.

His face scrunched up when he had to get rid of the added tits, teeth biting down on his tongue.

She laughed under her breath at this. But she became serious again when Syrus straightened out.

He made a rocking motion, then copied the posture of the many doctors that roamed this facility.

“Do you want me to take you to the physicians? They won’t be able to help you much, because they just help with rearing our young.”

Syrus shook his head and made a jagged line right across his chest before doing it again right above where his hips would be. Then he made a swirling motion for his eyes.

And it clicked.

He was talking about Hypno.

“You want to see Hypno?”

Syrus nodded eagerly, eyes lighting up.

“Why?”

Syrus wilted but regained his composure, pointing at his head and then his body, then crossing his hands over to form an X.

Lea sighed.

“I guess I can do something here. If I help you, do you promise to help me out anytime I need it?”

Syrus nodded.

“Then it’s settled. You stay here, hide behind the shelves. I’m not the only one who has full access to this.”

He did as he was told, but looked away when Lea left.

Maybe he was worried about being spotted.

As the door locked shut from the outside, Lea had missed hearing Syrus mumble something to himself.


	9. Requited Love (8)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get introduced to Lull.
> 
> He attacks Lea while she was on her way to get Hypno for Syrus. Hypno stops what would've been her death, and the two share a passionate moment after Lea decides it's time to express her affection for him and his unwavering love for her.
> 
> Then she forgets about Syrus.
> 
> Stupid bitch.

  
It wasn’t hard to get to the wing where Hypno and Lull resided, but it did take some time due to the escapee.

She had been stopped and pulled aside multiple times, being asked questions about any hints or things she might have seen or heard. Since the cameras were out during that time for the monthly hard drive backup, there wasn't any recorded footage of Syrus.

Lea took back her doubts of Syrus being stupid. If she was in his position, trapped in a strange place with no freedom after a life of peace, she would have taken any chance to escape too. But she wouldn’t have figured out a plan as good as his.

The lights had dimmed the closer she got to her destination. Pausing to read a hologram sign, she saw that it was telling everyone that the babes were sleeping. 

Her skin prickled at the cold mist that washed over her, simple decontamination. 

It was quiet, as expected, so the usual loud hum of the food machines for the babes was turned off temporarily. She could hear her footsteps as clear as day as she walked to the two dorm rooms in a secluded corner.

She turned left, hair swishing over her shoulder before settling into its original position. She kept her arms at her sides, a habit that was basically beat into her, and felt her hips brush her hands with every step.

Hypno’s room was at the end of this hall and she just needed to get to it before Syrus did something stupid. 

Sure, he was smart. But his childish attitude and body language made her think that he was impulsive to do things. Act first, think later. 

Lea wondered about what he would do if he was discovered. Would he hideaway? Would he attack? Or would he run away?

“Well, well, well, wot do we have ‘ere?”

Lea startled, hands coming up to cover her chest as she looked at the speaker.

Ugh, it was Lull. 

The lead physician, and head psychiatrist, was about two heads taller than her. He was dangerous, not something to be reckoned with. 

She discreetly glanced at his fingers.

“Hey, eyes up here sweetness.” Lull snapped his fingers with the opposite hand, the right remaining limp. 

She locked eyes with him, feeling woozy once his eyes started to spiral.

“I said, wot are you doin’ ‘ere?”

“I’m looking for your brother. I need his help with something.”  
  
She didn’t want to say this of course. There was a reason he was the head psychiatrist- making people spill their private thoughts and memories with a simple eye trick.

Of course, he could have been harsher. 

Lull tilted his head, jaw clenched with a dangerous smile.

“Oh? What do ya’ need ‘im for?” 

His eyes started to spiral faster, and Lea found herself fighting to keep her mouth shut.

“Syrus-”

It was the only word she was able to say before Lull attacked, his fingers elongating into hideous tentacles. The barbs sunk into her wrists and ankles, the fifth just poised over her heart.

She didn’t dare struggle.

She has seen this man kill higher-ups just for looking at him the wrong way. 

If he so much as twitched his ring finger, her heart will be impaled.

“Syrus you say? Dear, why don’t cha tell me where he is? I’ve been getting lonely without ‘im.”

Lea wanted to rebel, she wanted to scream her displeasure. She wanted Hypno. Oh god, where was he? 

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Lull’s gaze, even as she started to feel woozy. Her legs collapsed when the dizziness didn’t go away. She dangled in the air, about a foot off the ground, like some demented puppet.

“I-”

“That’s it, dearest, tell Lull where he is~”

“He’s-”

Lull screeched in rage when the barbs were yanked out, strong arms catching Lea when she fell. The wounds from the barbs were big when she curled into herself.

“Back off Lull. She’s mine.”

A hand covered her eyes, finally blocking the hypnosis between her potential killer and her. 

She supposed that Hypno had heard the commotion. After all, they were outside his room. 

Her blood was flowing freely now, and she found herself feeling lightheaded at how much she probably lost by now.

The two males were arguing before she was carried into a dark room. Gentle hands cleaned her wounds and wrapped them in antiseptic bandages.

She blinked, noticing that she was now surrounded by water. Hypno’s hands ran a soft washcloth over her body, minding the wounds and cleaning off any residue blood.

She was held by one strong arm, and her heart swelled at the thought of Hypno actually caring for her.

It was lovely, and she wanted to feel more of his amazing touch. Wanted to be beneath him.

She had always wanted this, didn’t she? They grew up together, he helped her survive when she didn’t perform well while doing chores. In return, she helped him gain his markings.

“Hypno,” She said softly, reaching up to gently trace his facial markings. 

“Lea,” he replied.

They stared at each other then, with nothing but the water and steam surrounding them both.

And then they were kissing passionately.

Lea had gasped when she felt the swipe of a tongue run across her stomach, feeling the grin of Hypno’s chest mouth against her body.

His arms wrapped around her, holding her close as she clutched at his hair.

It was another minute of kissing before he had lifted her up and carried her to the bed. Ignoring how wet they both were, fresh out of the shower, he began to kiss her properly as she was right underneath him. 

She moaned into his touch. It felt so nice to be truly loved.

But Lea huffed when he stopped, a question in his eyes.

A question to continue forwards, asking for her permission.

And Lea answered by smiling and pulling him back down. Her heart fluttered with anticipation and happiness.

Hypno worked hard to bring her to arousal, his sweet praises about her made it easier when she responded eagerly. It also helped when her eyes caught onto his strong form.

Lea loved his toned body, a nice tan colour accented by the dark markings on his forearms, chest, and face. The mouth on his chest was a bit hard to ignore, but it did it’s best to not drool on her.

His muscles flexed with power as he loomed over her, eyes full of-

She was cornered by the dominant male, his eyes filled with possessive lust. His arms were on either side of her, one hand straying from the wall to caress one of her breasts. He did not care when she said she wanted to be taken in a private, comfy place. She wanted to scream out for help-

Lea found herself blinking back tears at the intrusive memory, and gently pushed on Hypno. 

He understood and retreated from above her prone form. Arms wrapped themselves around her body. Her head tucked under a chin.

“It’s okay, Luv. We’ll, uh…” He hesitated. “We’ll try again when you want. No rush, honest.” He absent-mindedly thumbed over her wrist, tracing over the small wound underneath the bandages.

“We’ll have ta change these later, won’t do you any good now because they got wet.”

She was sure Hypno felt her nod, not wanting to speak lest her voice betrayed her.

Lea closed her eyes, focusing on how Hypno breathed and listened to the pulse of his heart. Pure energy, a perfect thing for life.

Her heartbeat matched with his as Hypno slowly began to fall asleep.

There they both lay, intertwined in each other’s arms, naked and prone. Hypno’s body began to heat up, warming them both up like a reptile’s basking rock.

Lea closed her eyes.

All duties and responsibilities are forgotten for now. There was something important that she wanted to do. But between Lull’s attack and their little moment, she had forgotten what it was.

She surrendered to sleep.


	10. Intrusive (9)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We switch back to Syrus' POV, getting caught up on where we left off > detained after the fiasco at the Pink Room.
> 
> Also, he knowingly kills someone while waiting for Lea to return. Is he just going to be left in there to die? Hope not.

“Return soon,” was what Syrus had said to himself. His voice was rough and unused, a large contrast to the chatterbox he had been when he was younger.

It was going to be a long journey to regain his lost memories and he would have been left as an empty husk by now had he not had someone step in to help.

It was worth it though, the countless times he never slept due to just reliving every single thing he’d been through since he could remember. He remembered- he remembered the smell of decay, trapped under the rubble while trying to wake his silent, cold mother-

Syrus didn’t want to think about this anymore. It was starting to make him feel sick.

He cast his gaze to the door, wondering about what he could do to keep himself occupied. Maybe he could reorganize the cleaning supplies in here? It seemed...fun. Yes, that last part was sarcastic.

Sure, the bottles were colourful and all but they might have provided more entertainment for someone dumber than he was. Or younger.

He felt a hot itch at the thought, an urge to just play and look for an adult to care for him. Syrus had to bite and scratch at himself to get it to stop. 

He was not a child anymore. He was an adult. Or was he?

Syrus felt the ghost touch of arms encircling his body and he nearly leapt from his hiding spot. He checked behind himself with paranoid eyes and wanted to weep with relief when nothing was there. 

He got comfortable again, curled up with his head propped up on his knees. 

Just what the fuck was happening to him? Nothing was adding up.

This further proved his need for Hypno.

He had seen the kind man after being detained, due to the man’s less aggressive nature than his brother. 

Hypno had guided him through deep hypnosis, humming a lullaby while holding Syrus’ head between his hands. Memories were unearthed but he didn’t remember most of it. He only recognized a few people. He didn’t understand why.

He didn’t remember why he was treated differently, told things he already knew, and taught things that young children already knew.

_ ‘They despise your caretaker, youngling.’ _

Hypno had murmured into his ear.

_ ‘They disliked your kind, for your kind had been responsible for the social class uprising. Those avians loved their high social status. And you only brought it down to its lowest point when you were adopted.’ _

Even during the nap, Syrus had felt Hypno’s presence inside of his head. 

It was warm and kind, a welcomed thing into Syrus’ confused consciousness which was a dark place of paranoia and sickness. It soothed old wounds, calmed his panic and provided comfort when the worst memories began to make sense to Syrus.

But there were a few ones that Hypno had taken. Apparently, it was for his own good. But Syrus didn’t know what was good anymore. He just wanted to be left alone while he gardened. He wanted to be free.

_ ‘I know. May I pray that you are the key to exposing this hell.’ _

When Syrus had awoken from the forced nap, he was alone in his cell and left to question the experience. 

From there, Syrus had forced himself to learn to read body language. He learned that the guards were lazy, thinking him incapable of doing more than feeding himself and cleaning up messes he made.

He memorized the shifts of the guards, and when the cameras that were always pointed at him had to be updated and rebooted.

When both the camera reboot and the guard shift switch synced up, Syrus had run.

His bones had clamped close to his body, muscles tearing at the sudden stretch, and he eased his way out the little food slot under the door.

It hurt like hell when he had restored himself back into his normal form, leaving him decorated in bruises. Oh well. A stupid side effect of his permanent disability.

He just ran and ran through the barren white halls, and got scared when a small team of guards had pursued him.

He was so scared that his panic clouded his judgment, and before he knew it, Syrus was holding some female hostage in a secluded closet.

Not that he wanted her hostage, Syrus chuckled at the memory, he just wanted her silent so the guards wouldn’t hear where he went.

She trusted him apparently, even though he thought he shouldn't be. 

Syrus was able to form a way to communicate with her, not wanting to speak. He was scared of speaking. It led to his capture.

She agreed to help him and now Syrus was stuck here waiting for her to return with Hypno.

Syrus had a hunch that both Hypno and Lull used to be important people. There was no way that the two most powerful Illubrai that his Flock whispered about were here to just...simply care for children.

Specifically, Syronain children.

Syrus glanced at his hands, watching his skin shimmer under the dim light his eyes produced.

Were Syronains much more powerful than their non-shifting cousins?

Most likely, Syrus thought as he flexed his fingers- causing the soft tips of his fingers to turn into hard claws.

At the sound of a hushed whisper and the metal door creaking open, Syrus swore his heart had stopped.

Oh no.

Did they figure out where he was?

No.

It wasn’t possible.

He peeked out from the shelf and was pleased to find that it was simply a female, wearing nothing but a gold collar around her neck. Judging from her posture and expression, Syrus could tell that she was tired. Probably had cleaning duty and just needed to put the supplies away.

Syrus leaned out further, trying to see what she was holding behind her back. She turned to face the general direction he was in at the same time and everything went to hell.

She began to scream.

The door had already locked the moment she leaped away from Syrus, and she was banging her little fists on the door with all her might. Trying to get away.

If she got out, everyone would know about Syrus.

Syrus sighed at the idea of what he had to do. 

She was so frantic in her haste to get away that she didn’t hear Syrus approach. But she did begin to thrash against him when his hands wrapped around her throat and over her mouth.

He pressed her against the door, his breath hot against her ear.  She stilled at his close proximity. 

He could hear her heart beating fast and smell her fear in the air. 

It was…

It was  _ intoxicating. _

Syrus blinked.

And deftly snapped her neck.

All it took was for the body to fall onto the ground, a loud echoing thud inside the storage closet, the dead weight no longer supported by Syrus. 

Dirty hands entangled into his own hair, strands of hair poking out through each finger gap. Syrus screwed his face up in a mixture of embarrassment and fear.  Syrus was beyond terrified about what he had done.

Would Lea be mad at him for this?

He hoped not.

He cast a glance at the body’s head and neck, disturbed by the jagged bone that had somehow managed to poke out. Blood oozed from the wound, creating a small puddle around the host.

The blood trickled towards him, towards the door and Syrus began to panic more. 

Syrus quickly tore off his shirt, taking notice of the drains on each side of the door, stuffing it under the door frame to stop the blood from leaking out to the hall.

He turned worried eyes to the carcass behind him, trying to figure out where it could be hidden.

He licked his lips absent-mindedly when he glanced over at the neck again.

But there was a body that needed to be hidden. Evidence destroyed. Maybe…

Syrus eyed the various chemical solutions on the numerous shelves around him. He picked up an unnamed bottle, recoiled from the smell, and promptly dumped it over the body.

Foam formed as the flesh and bones sizzled under the corrosive substance. Hair and nails were left intact, floating to rise on top of the foam. Syrus caught the dead stare of the corpse before the eyes and skull were finally reduced to nothing more than bubbles.

Deadly bubbles.

Feeling confident about his plan, he began to scale one of the larger shelves. He didn’t want to stay near that substance any more than he had to. He also hoped it wouldn’t damage his sense of smell.

Oh well. It’ll be okay.

Everything will be right again soon.

He’ll be free.

He just wanted to...he wanted to be reunited with someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to whoever read it this far. The anon hits on this are making me anxious, but they probably gave up after like- two chapters. 
> 
> This is, after all, original work with characters nobody knows as well as me.


	11. Shock (10)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lea's POV once again, and here I try to explain a bit more of what Lull can do- badly. Also, spoiler Alert- Syrus is not hiding away. Something happened.
> 
> Short chapter, because I got hit with writer's block and more couldn't be added without overdoing it.

She awoke slowly, taking her time to adjust to the warmth around her body and opening her eyes.

Of course, she was lying with Hypno. Even if he hadn’t given her a courting gift beforehand.

She mentally giggled at her own thought, pressing deeper into Hypno’s embrace. It was nice here. She wished that she’d never had to leave this amazing cocoon of warmth.

There was a faint sense of something at the back of her mind, making her feel like she had forgotten something important. She tried to backtrack, but all she recalled of yesterday was the big standoff with Lull.

That bioluminescent bitch. He was so two-faced, he couldn’t even reign in his anger when she struggled against his powers.

Hypno must have subconsciously sensed her sour mood, curling himself around her a bit more. He would be such a good mate, but did he fully reconcile the feeling? Lea wouldn’t know until they sat down and actually discussed it.

She looked at her wrists, noting the renewed bandages, and must’ve realized that Hypno must have changed them sometime in the night. How sweet of him, she thought.

Her ankles were the same, having clean white bandages wrapped over them.

Lea smiled.

But sat up abruptly when she heard a muffled scream and the tell-tale sign of a taser being used.

She hurriedly covered herself with a fallen blanket on the ground, quietly striding towards the dorm door.

She looked through the peephole and wanted to vomit at the sight of Syrus.

He was twitching on the ground, face twisted up in what must have been agony. His body was more battered and bruised than when she first officially met him, some bruises were dark green or yellow, others were fresh and red- a few now purple. 

Drool escaped out of the corner of his mouth, lips twitching every few seconds.

Lea saw the missing teeth and bloodied tongue, she saw the displacement of his jaw. 

Her blood boiled at the sight of Syrus, the one who managed to scare half the populace around him without even meeting them, now weak and prone. She was angry at whoever was responsible for this

Her eyes followed the two small cords that were attached to his neck, finding the man responsible for this.

Ugh, speaking of the devil and he shall come.

Lea watched as Lull made eye contact with her, and motioned for her to come out. How did he see her through the peephole? Lull motioned to Syrus with his somewhat functional hand, it’s barbed fingers twitching.

But she didn’t trust this. Lull wouldn’t let Syrus go so easily, and he’d probably taser her too if she made a sudden move. 

She steeled herself as she slowly opened the door. God how she felt foolish like she’d just been caught stealing extra rations. She suppressed a shiver at Lull’s gaze that raked up and down her form, making her pull up the blanket a bit tighter, but he merely chuckled at her reaction.

“Now, my dear, you have tha’ pleasure of dragging your little boy toy-” Lea wanted to hurl at that statement. “-back to my little lab. Such a shame that I managed to get all I needed from our lil’ encounter.”

Lea took half a step back, eyes wide.

“Oh, did you think that I needed you dead to get access to your mind? No. As long as I have at least one barb connected to whatever poor soul I chose to attack, I still get ta’ siphon out everything I need. Did ya’ feel like something was missing?”

His words were condescending, a tone that took great pleasure in humiliating Lea. She felt foolish for not realizing this earlier. This freak had brainwashed her to get what he needed- Syrus’ location.

He motioned to Syrus again. “Get to it, slave. I’ll see to it that you’re listed as aggressive in the Pink Room after. Oh, how I’ll love to see you chained up and bred like some common farm animal.”

She wanted to stomp her foot down and scream at him.  He didn’t deserve to be in that position of power. He was sick. He enjoyed it.

But she bent down, releasing her hold on her only protection for the first time in years, and grabbed Syrus underneath his underarms- hauling him upright into an easier position.  His head lolled to the side when she did so, drool covering her foot.

But when Lull turned away, his useless hand now flexed and ready to strike at her, Lea had no choice but to follow.

Before they turned the corner out of sight, Lea cast a sad look at Hypno’s dorm. 

Then they disappeared out of sight.

  
  
  
  
  



	12. Violation (11)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to see a bit more of Syrus' backstory, coming from before he had to scavenge for food.
> 
> Carriers are male-presenting, mothers are female-presenting for context.
> 
> Yes, Lull is violating him.
> 
> No, Syrus is asexual. He is not having sex with a 41-year-old man.

**Pain in his ankles, pain in his wrists. There was a brief pulse of energy, and Syrus felt his will dissolve at the unheard command.**

  
  


_ Syrus could recount the times where he had to help birthing parents seeking refuge at his first home.  _

_ He was young, but still had the duty of cleaning off the babes, helping wipe down the sweaty carriers/mothers, and wash bedding. He was thanked generously, but it wasn’t genuine as the carriers/mothers were more concerned about their own than rather a stranger. _

_ For live-births, the carriers/mothers had screamed and wailed until they gathered their quiet child into welcoming arms. Drunk off hormones, they had wept at the sight of their child. Beautiful to them but a grey blob to others. The egg-layers were much quieter but were just as happy at the hatching of their children several months later. _

_ As more survivors were found from the area of the bombing, they were passed off to different factions to help heal from the experience.  _

_ It was only a month into his new home, still afraid of being alone. He didn’t like it when the disaster crew had hauled away his mother.  _

_ Her body no longer held up the rubble above them, his mother had just slumped downwards onto him one day. He got scared when he didn’t feel her breathing. But it was just a survival tactic probably. _

_ His mother wasn’t his true mother. He knew this. They didn’t even look alike. She had white hair, he had brown. _

_ She had no nose, he did. She was a type of Illubrai-Syroanian hybrid, leaving her the only option to care for an orphaned Syroanin because she could handle the shifting accidents and sharp teeth. _

_ Syrus remembered being upset when her body was unearthed from above him. _

_ He didn’t like the sheet they placed over her. Was it to keep her warm? She was very cold. Her skin was once a warm tan, but now she was pale and grey. Her hair was tangled and matted, and she started to smell weird the longer they were trapped under the rubble. _

  
  


_ Then the long wait to be accepted into a faction. Since he was young, he had been carted away to Mortar’s Home for the Maternal while any information on him was looked over. There were many mothers and carriers there, some grieving the losses of their family and others quiet and reserved. A few were manic, attacking those who got too close to them and their stillborns. _

_ There were some children and babies, but none of them wanted to play with him. The children called him disgusting things, telling him to go back to the destroyed land of the shifters. That he was the problem here. That he was better off dead.  _

_ Racism and hatred passed down from parent to child. _

_ If he asked their parents, they just waved off his concerns and denied ever saying anything like that. _

_ He spent his days huddled up in his small room. He was the only one of his kind here. Nobody else had rippling skin and luminous eyes. He cried at the thought. _

_ But when a heavily pregnant carrier walked into the half-empty room one day, Syrus had ceased his crying and automatically helped the carrier with the small suitcase he toted behind him. _

_ The carrier told Syrus of his adventures into the Capitol, of how he met his mate and forever conjunix, before settling down to raise children. This was his second pregnancy, his first offspring were already grown up and working around wherever they were needed.  _

_ He said that the bombing was needed, that it made the Circle think about their horrible government choices. The Syroanians might have been hated by others, but they allowed both the carrier and his mate to liberate themselves into a life of luxury. _

_ He spoke of happy times, of his bountiful family history. He whispered about the dark secrets The Circle had behind closed doors. And he was never afraid to recount the times that a friendly Syroanian helped him with his first children. _

_ Syrus cried at the mention of other Syroanians, in the golden age. _

_ The carrier gathered Syrus into his arms, rocking the small child back and forth. His soul and aura sang with empathy and acceptance, curling around Syrus and smothering him with affection. _

_ When the birth happened, Syrus had expected to be tossed aside because mothers and carriers were only so happy and loving to everyone around them because of hormones. Any other time, they might have been embarrassed by what they have said. _

_ The tears were a constant feeling in his eyes, streaming down his face while he picked mulishly at the sludge the cafeteria served. It was no longer hot, just cold and gross. Just when he thought he had a friend, it was ripped away from him like it was some cruel game. _

_ But when the carrier called him over with a strained voice, hoarse from screaming at the pain, Syrus felt a flicker of hope. _

_ The carrier asked Syrus to clean up the messes the babes had made and asked him to place the babes into the large crib beside the bed while he left to shower. _

_ Syrus did and squealed at the feeling of being lifted high. He giggled at the carrier’s goofy grin on his face, and the pair had spun around until Syrus got too dizzy to walk.  _ _ They both settled onto the bed, keeping quiet because of the new babes, and the carrier enveloped Syrus into a parental embrace. _

_ There, the carrier had asked him about the new names of his babies.  _ _ Syrus had named them the names he heard in his dreams, Yvaine, Lea, and Crolus.  _ _ And it matched the two girls and the boy perfectly.  _

_ Syrus snuggled into the carrier's loving hug, the carrier wrapping his arms tighter around the smaller male. _

_ “What’s your name?” Syrus had asked, eyelids fluttering. _

_ “I’ll tell you in the morning because I have a fun story to go with it, but who might you be?” _

_ “Syrus.” _

_ “What a beautiful name, my darling boy.” _

_ And Syrus slept. When he awoke, he was alone. The crib was gone, the blankets changed.  _

_ Near his head on another pillow, lay a tattered note. _

‘To Syrus, 

I had hoped that I got to say goodbye, but I was finally sent to a faction with my children. I have limited time as I write, there’s an officer here to escort me.

May we meet again.

\- Mysterio”

  
  


**“Do you see how useful he is, Lea? There’s no point in releasing him. He has classified information in his possession.”**

**The pain lessened when the pressure in his ankles and wrists finally went away. He tumbled back into the blank abyss of his consciousness.**


End file.
